Unova Stars: Bright Shadow
by DarkPossession
Summary: To be read in conjunction with /u/2646617/'s 'Cascading Comets' Skye Flynn finally embarks on her Pokémon Adventure at the age of 14, but right from the start the Gods have twisted the destinies of her, her cousin, Jet, and the evils of Team Plasma.
1. A Pearl of a Place

Nacrene was a Pearl of a Place, a city established in restored storehouses built a hundred years ago. Despite the bulk of buildings being storehouses, it was beautiful, especially as dusk turned to night like now, with the drifting tune of an accordion wrapping its tune around the whole city and setting it alight with wonder. The Café Warehouse was the source of the harmonious melody, orange lights glowing from within the building where folks of the city sat at chairs at the counter, warming their hands on their scalding tea and coffee.

Outside on the wooden platform attached to the Café stood a navy-haired man, his hands working rhythmically on the keys of his accordion, swaying as he compressed the instrument together and then out; this was where the beautiful tune arose from. Two tables were based on his left and right, chairs surrounding them; two green and white parasols ejected from the centre of the tables.

To the right of the Café Warehouse was the cities' museum and Gym; the Pokémon Gym was built into the museum, based at the back. Within the museum were prehistoric bones that were fascinating to see, and brought you back to another age altogether to the one people and Pokémon now lived in, one where humans didn't have access to bridges and transport, large amusement park attractions and the technology they harnessed today. The Gym at the back was a mystery to those who had not faced its challenge.

A young girl named Skye lived in Nacrene, having grown up there her entire life. She'd spent an awful lot of time at the museum, learning about fossils and the ancient Pokémon, and even longer dreaming; she wanted to be a Pokémon Trainer. She wanted to unearth mysteries and discover phenomenon's beyond anyone's comprehension, working alongside the mystifying creatures that shared the earth with them.

Pokémon were a man's best friend, acting in more ways than one; some researched them, others kept them as their friends to live with, people even performed shows with them, and the majority became Pokémon Trainers, capturing and training Pokémon and building them up to their full potential, taking on Gyms across the land and striving to be the best they can be. In the end they would take on the Pokémon League, where they faced the four toughest trainers in all of Unova, and then finally the Pokémon Champion, who was supposedly stronger than them all combined.

At night Skye would come to the Warehouse Café and sit at a table outside on the wooden platform, listening to the peaceful sound of the accordion as it weaved through her ears. She'd stare up at the hues of blue, pink and orange melding together as night took hold, watching the stars begin to twinkle, and wonder what her journey would eventually be like. What Pokémon would she catch? What would she do on her adventure? What friends would she make? So many questions, and she could only imagine.

Today she'd arrived five minutes before seven, entering the warehouse to get her cup of piping hot tea. Before she'd gone in she'd noticed her cousin and best friend, Jet, sitting on the platform outside. She knew by the look in his eyes that he wasn't in this world, but his realm of thought, so instead of bugging him she left him be, entering the Café. Minutes later she emerged, but Jet was gone. Shrugging her shoulders, she sat down where he'd been minutes ago.

Skye hummed along with the accordion this night, feeling happily content with the world. Next to a steaming hot cup of tea on the table she sat at was her white and pink baseball cap, a peach-coloured Pokéball adorning the front. Her chocolate brown hair hung with two bangs down the left and right side of her face, the rest flowing in a bushy pony tail. She wore a white vest top and a black overcoat that ended just above her hips, and sky blue shorts with white tufts at the edge. She also wore black boots with dark pink laces and soles, as well as, on her wrists, black and pink wristbands and her Xtransciever.

She'd been educated enough at the museum to know there were special Pokémon. Gazing at the twinkling of the first stars, she wondered if any of them were Pokémon, lost to the Earth but roaming the galaxies, exploring places no man would ever see. It made her head spin, but it fascinated her. She settled back further into her chair, a soft sigh escaping her lips, and then she heard a noise.

_Whoosh!_

Her aquamarine eyes snapped upwards towards the sky, and her breath was snatched from her. For up in the heavens was a cascading comet, a bright, alabaster globe rocketing across the tangerine hues of the sky. A streak of pure energy followed behind it, its whole presence splashed artistically across the atmosphere. Its tail smudged lines of white behind it, leaving a trail as it raced forward. Skye watched it in awe, unable to look away from the phenomenon.

Finally it completed its circuit within Skye's eyesight and disappeared over the tops of the thriving forest that surrounded Nacrene. In the distance she could see the looming figure of Skyarrow Bridge, but the comet had even surpassed that and shot on. The thing was though; to Skye it looked like the comet was headed _down._

Skye was alight with incredulity and amazement at the marvel she'd just been witness too, but it was making her think. She'd learnt at the museum that the ancient Chinese regarded comets as Gods or other supernatural beings that appeared in the sky as astrological omens. She was excited to think something regarding the Gods was going to happen, but was scared it meant something bad for them all.

Her Grandpa, who was staying with her family at the moment, was very superstitious and raved about the Gods a lot. Most of the time he made no sense, but she and her cousin had definitely gotten the impression that there was something out there. Skye had a feeling Jet listened more to him than her; she didn't have the patience to watch him play with his moustache for several minutes, utter a few words, finally say something relevant, then go back to his moustache.

"Oh god, Gramps!" Skye exclaimed loudly, jumping out of her seat. Her tea forgotten, she grabbed her baseball hat off the table and slung it around and onto her copious brown hair. With that in place she sped off, leaping the few steps off the platform and pelting down the road. Her abandoned tea lay steaming on the table, where the accordion musician looked sideways at it, then at the speeding youngster, before continuing to play his melody as if nothing had happened.

Skye wasn't necessarily unfit, but she hated doing strenuous activity, and running full pelt to her house was strenuous enough for her. She knew she had to get used to it, but she really did hate running. She didn't know why Jet liked it so much. He was quite the runner, unlike her. The reason for her hurry was simply because of her grandpa.

"Hey, ye' scurvy dog, come 'ere! You and Jet've got to come here at dusk tonight, understood? I've got a surprise for ye' both. No, I haven't got three eyes. What? You asked why? Oh, errm, shush you. Just come!" His words rang in her ear as she glanced at her Xtransciever. Well, she hadn't overstepped the set time that much, only by a few minutes. Either way, she knew not to keep her Gramps waiting. He might go all Yoda on her, and they didn't want that again; last time he smashed several pieces of furniture, and completely missed her.

Finally she crashed through the front door of one of the renovated warehouses, stumbling in upon the scene of her best friend, Jet, and Gramps, who was stumbling towards his rocking chair, walking stick hitting the ground in no sort of rhythm. His free hand was behind his back, reaching to scratch his backside before he finally plonked himself down.

Bedraggled, Skye was panting, calming her heart rate as she lurched to a stop. She inhaled and exhaled for a few seconds before straightening up, a feral grin on her face. She looked towards her cousin, Jet. Jet wore your standard stygian black jeans, an alabaster white t-shirt underneath an ultramarine blue jacket, and a garnet red and white baseball cap tucking away his shaggy brown hair. His feet were adorned by black trainers.

"Well, look at what the Purrloin dragged in," Jet smirked, his face broadening into a grin. He sat down on a couch opposite Gramps' rocking chair, and Skye joined him, falling into the comfy feel of the sofa.

"Shut it, you. This is my house. I'll kick you out," Skye warned back, grinning straight back at him. Behind them both Gramps perked up.

"THEM'S FIGHTIN' WORDS!" he shouted, waving his walking stick in the air. Luckily it didn't break anything, a miracle, but Skye and Jet ignored his words and continued to banter.

"Yeah, thank God it's your house. Personally I wouldn't want to live in such a shabby place," he remarked, casting a nervous frown towards Gramps who had settled back into his rocking chair; he seemed distracted by his moustache though, pulling it this way and that and looping the strands of hair over each other. He looked ridiculous, but that was Grandpa Edgar for you.

"It's better than the dump you live in. Last time I checked you were living in a dustbin out the back of some rubbish restaurant," she argued back, her fingers curling into a fist. She punched him on the shoulder, lightly, but it was enough to bruise. Jet was one of the easiest people to bruise ever, and Skye often took advantage of that. She also ridiculed him for it, nicknaming him 'Peaches'.

"Awwh, jealousy is a terrible thing, isn't it?" he mocked, shoving Skye back but seeming happy all the same, ignoring the fact he was probably already bruising. He then turned to Gramps. "So, as you were saying, Skye's real family were Hillbillies?"

"Hillbillies my arse!" Skye exclaimed with a hearty laugh. "More like rich millionaires who left me in the care of these people, else I'd explode of awesome!" She nudged Jet playfully at the end of her words. Gramps was fidgeting in his chair now.

"Come on, listen–" Gramps tried to interject, but was cut off by Jet.

"So you admit it, you're adopted! I knew you were different; everyone always told me you were different."

"Right, that's it." Skye ducked down and tackled Jet from the side, making it even more amazing seeing as they were both sitting down! She lifted him up, a testament to her strength, and managed to get him on her shoulder. "God, you're bloody heavy!" She was fake-panting, pretending to huff and puff and show how much Jet assumedly weighed.

"Must be all this muscle. It's heavier than fat y'know. Well, you would know about fat with those legs." Jet overstepped, and although Skye still took it as a joke, like they always did, it didn't mean she wasn't going to get her payback.

"Kids, kids," Gramps chided, but once more he was interrupted, this time by Skye. "Family shouldn't–"

"Ha! Hmm, you're right. Maybe I should take a look at that fat..." she said mortally, a devilish smile on her lips, before she dropped Jet onto the ground, hard. He could barely suppress a swear from arising, but held it in. Skye laughed at him. Gramps couldn't take it anymore. In a burst of energy he leaped from his chair, brandishing his walking stick.

"SO, IT'S EASTER, HUH?" he yelled, and Skye and Jet ceased their fight immediately. Jet got to his feet without complaint to his mishandling by Skye, and let out a retort.

"Did I hear Easter? Couldn't hear too well; Skye's fat was blocking my ears."

"That doesn't even–" Skye started.

"So, Easter?" Jet cut across. Gramps broke out in a grin, happily sitting back down now the tussle was over.

"Yup! And I got you both Easter Eggs. Oho, kids, take your pick!" He reached down beneath his rocking chair and brought out two beautiful-looking eggs. They were both quite big, and shared the same shape. However their patterns were amazing to behold. The first was a pale egg with a strange yellow film shielding the top half, which was as hard as rock. The second had a crimson top and an incredibly dark grey bottom … it seemed angry, which was pretty impossible.

"I want that one!" Skye screeched, lurching forward and grabbing the honey-comb egg from Gramps' grasp before Jet could even begin to register the situation. For a runner, he was pretty slow, or at least mentally, so Skye liked to think. Jet cocked his head to the side, confused.

"Hey, I don't see any wrapping paper," he said, suspicious. He took the other egg and tapped it with his index finger. "Hey, it's warm. I don't want lukewarm chocolate; that sounds unpleasant... What is this I don't even?"

"Oh well, I'll still eat it!" Skye chirped, putting the egg to her teeth and clamping down, trying to bite it. However it was as hard as rock and she only succeeded in hurting her teeth. Gramps threw a fit.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING! GODDAMIT WOMAN, IT'S NOT REALLY AN EASTER EGG."

Suddenly it sunk in, and Skye pulled back what she'd thought to be an Easter Egg. It all fell into place, and suddenly she began to marvel the egg, eyes gleaming. "Oooohh..."

Jet obviously hadn't gotten the situation, and remained brainless to the situation. "What are these if they aren't chocolate? Useless, that's what!" He was grumpy by now, shifting the egg around in his hands.

"I'll have it if you don't want it..." Skye mumbled shiftily. If Jet didn't know what it was, she might be able to get it.

"You two are idiots! Can you not tell a Pokémon egg when you see one? Fools!" Gramps shook his head in dismay, disappointed at the youths. Jet was about to throw his egg at Skye to have, who was eager and waiting, but her face fell when Gramps revealed what they were, her plan foiled.

"Wait, Pokémon Egg?" Jet said, excitement growing in the pit of his stomach.

"Yes! Working at a museum, you'd think a boy your age could recognise a Pokémon Egg." Gramps mumbled off, saying something incoherent. He always did, and it was hard to discern sense from ravings about how it was supposed to rain Magikarp's tomorrow. Skye piped up.

"Ah, come on Gramps, I was just pulling your leg. I knew all along it was a Pokémon Egg!" she said with an almighty grin. Of course, Jet and Gramps both knew she was lying her arse off.

"Oh yeah, me too; I definitely knew it was a Pokémon Egg," Jet joined, but Skye leaped on him immediately.

"Shut up Jet, you liar!" she pouted.

"No y–"

"OI! BOTH OF YOU, QUIT IT!" Gramps barked, and the two fell silent. "Now, this ol' man used to be a great Pokémon trainer and even better with the ladies, I'll have you know. Now, I travelled this whole region with some very special Pokémon, and I know what your parents are like, so I'm giving you both a mission. Take those eggs and hatch them, then get out of here and get out there! I'll cover your backs better than I covered Jimmy O'Tooles in 'Nam–"

"Jimmy... the guy who got shot in the nose?" Jet asked. Skye was clueless; all she knew was that in her hands she held a Pokémon ready to burst into life. It made her shake with excitement. She couldn't wait until it hatched.

"Nam? Where the heck?" Skye started.

"Quiet, you," Gramps shushed, eyes narrowed.

"Right, we'll just leave now. Later, Gramps!" Skye grinned, similar to that of the Cheshire Cats. Her whole family shared the trait of having grins like a Cheshire Cat's, and it was a comedic matter brought up every once in a while. Skye held the egg of the mystery Pokémon in one hand and waved goodbye to Gramps in the other.

"See ya, Gramps! Bet you fifty bucks that mine hatches first!" Jet gambled, leaving the house alongside Skye. Behind them they left Gramps who was chuckling all crazy-like and was speaking complete and utter incoherent shite. "I love Gramps. He's battier than a Woobat."

Now out in the darkness of the oncoming night, door to her house closed, Skye laughed aloud. "Haha! Couldn't agree more, but you still top the crazy list. Oh, and by the way, there's no way your egg is hatching before mine, loser," she teased, poking her tongue out at him. Despite the taunts and other actions she performed, she kept the egg pressed tight to her chest. It was precious to her now.

"We both know I'll hatch my egg first. But let's make it interesting, will we?"

"Interesting? You mean you're going to sit on it like a bird and hope it'll hatch quicker, because you know mine's gonna hatch first?"

"Interesting, not as in how you somehow fit into short shorts, but as in... a bet." Skye fumed at his insults, directing an irritated scowl towards Jet.

"Hey! Don't make me tackle you again! I will – you know I will. So... what kind of bet?"

"Alright, here it is. Let's see, although we all know it'll be me, who can hatch their egg first? The loser has to fork over all their money!"

"Haha, yes! I'm running low, so taking all of _your_ money will be great! Let's go, runner-boy." Skye was indeed low on money after spending it all on Pokéballs. She'd wanted to go and catch her own Pokémon and start her adventure a month ago, but she just hadn't been able to catch anything. They'd all hit the Pokéballs back or attacked her. She'd needed a Pokémon to do the deed, but she'd been lacking that. Her mum had been furious when she'd found out.

"I'll be running a clear mile ahead of you at any rate. Catch you later, thunder thighs!" Jet laughed before running off with his egg. He nearly tripped whilst doing so, and Skye had to wonder how he even managed to go in one straight line without falling over a pebble.

"Oi, you little–" Skye started, but stopped herself from shouting back. He probably couldn't hear her anymore anyway. She sighed, raising her free hand. Held there was her pink bag she'd swiped off the peg in her house before she'd left with Jet. Unlike Jet, she came prepared, and had a stash of Potions hidden in one of the compartments. She'd gotten them with the Pokéballs, thinking she could heal her newly caught Pokémon with them, but capturing none, she was left with only the Potions.

Slinging the messenger bag over her shoulder, it hung by her side as she planned her route. There was a curious cave she wanted to visit in the direction Jet had gone named Wellspring Cave, and after checking that out she was going to head back to Nacrene and trek across Skyarrow Bridge. Yup, that was her plan of action. She felt a lump in her bag and frowned, digging around the bag. She pulled out a gleaming red and white orb.

"Hmm, seems I have one more Pokéball left..." she whispered aloud, turning it in her fingers. Then, placing it back in her bag, she began to walk after Jet. Above her, tangerine had turned to a dark navy, fusing with chaotic streaks of black. Bright stars glittered and lit up the heavens, and the comet that had shot across earlier had landed on Planet Earth.

The omen had come, and now the Gods were beginning to play their part. Skye might think she was insignificant, but her role was exceedingly important. She held an infinite amount of power, but she was yet to know it. Life was about to get very challenging for Skye Flynn, but then again, she'd always liked a challenge

* * *

><p><strong>A u t h o r s N o t e<br>**_Well there we have it. Chapter One of Unova Stars: Bright Shadow. I have to thank my friend Tommeh for the title. I basically stole it... although on his permission. :L So it's not really stealing... OH WELL. Hope you (whoever __**you**__ are) liked this and will keep reading it. :3_

**Important  
><strong>This story runs in conjunction with Unova Stars: Cascading Comets, written by Tommeh.(: If you liked the character Jet in this, Cascading Comets basically follows his story, whilst Bright Shadow follows Skye. It's really worth the read; Tom's a far greater writer than I am. :D  
><em>Cascading Comets: .nets/6931061/1/Unova_Stars_Cascading_Comets_


	2. A Not So Rocky Beginning

The soft whisper of wind blew languorously across Route 3, the sea of emerald grass swaying with the air's current. Blossomed daisy's rustled close to one another, murmuring secrets of those who had crossed them on the dry earth path, fenced off from the surrounding forest. Dark green patches of elongated grass outlined the pathway, devilish red eyes peering out, full of malevolence and a hunger for battle.

Skye stayed far away from the tall grass; woven tales of bloodthirsty beasts that preyed on those without Pokémon, from her Grandpa, hadn't failed to keep her with her distance whilst without a hatched egg. She knew those 'bloodthirsty beasts' were nothing more than harmless Patrat or energised Pidove, but it didn't hurt to be cautious whilst her mystery Pokémon was still growing in its sallow shell; the egg was clutched securely to her chest, never to leave her grasp. It was dear to her.

Her azure optics roved her surroundings hungrily, spying hordes of sleeping Pidove nested in the trees, a rare Sawk sleeping cosily up against a tree, and a family of Patrat and a Watchog settling down for the night. Skye hadn't even known that Watchog inhabited this area, but thought better of it than to investigate and continued on her way.

Her grey boots clumped across the stiff boards of a bridge that passed over a small lake, it's translucent, tranquil waters reflecting the stars above. Skye peered over the edge of the bridge and gazed at her reflection, cocking her head to the side with a smile at how she rippled with the movement of the water.

She hoped that suddenly a comet would appear in the reflection, and she'd look up, seeing the beauty again, but she knew it wouldn't. Curiosity had overwhelmed her at that point in time, and now she was bent on finding out what it was, whether she found out now or later. It was so wrapped up in mystery. Oh, she itched to know what it was!

Crossing the bridge, Skye continued up the path, avoiding any and all patches of long grass. The thing she loved about Route 3 was that you could walk up it without landing yourself in any Pokémon Battles, so it'd been safe for her when she was younger to go to the Playground at the Daycare with Jet. They'd had lots of fun together, but those memories also brought back pains to her.

As she recollected her memories, she came to a halt, the looming, deserted form of the Day Care coming into view. The playground was abandoned at night, the sand pit and slide existing silently alongside the night calls of Pokémon inhabiting the area. Skye didn't enter, but looked from afar. After all, the Day Care man wouldn't be pleased to see her; the light in his house was on, signalling him still being awake.

She remembered many things. The first was a recollection of battles she and Jet had fought together with the other kids; battling was a popular sport in the playground, and Skye and Jet had been the top dogs. Jet had battled alongside his Oshawott, and she'd taken down many with a raving mad Lillipup. That little guy had been the highlight of her day, every day. However, she'd caused a lot of damage with the pup and he'd been taken away from her.

She recalled having thrown a fit and stolen a Pansear, and that hadn't ended well at all. The slide had been set on fire within half an hour. She'd been banned from setting foot in the Day Care ever since. She intended on making amends one day, but that wasn't today. A sad smile crossed her face, but it made her feel worse when she thought more about Jet and his Oshawott.

She remembered it, a lethal memory that had engraved itself in her mind. It wasn't the actual situation, but the serious tones her parents had used, the harsh words and worried expressions. Her Grandpa... he hadn't been the loopy, deranged man he was today. He'd been solemn, grave, looking as if he were about to take on a challenging task. She'd been told... to never, ever speak of Jet's Oshawott again. It was banned, with serious consequences if she broke their rule. She didn't know why, and she wasn't told either.

What had been the problem? Skye still didn't know. She cast off the memories, thinking it better to forget about it all. She moved away from the Day Care and to the left, climbing up a small set of stairs. She began to see her destination, the ominous presence of Wellspring Cave becoming known. The name of the cave wasn't particularly threatening, but who knew that lurked within? The entrance was dark and uninviting, and Skye clutched her egg even tighter to her chest. Taking a deep breath she stepped forwards into the cave.

The cavern was dank and eerie, dark patches spread across the ground. Boulders made up the most part of the walls, and the only light came from the entrance where a beam of moonlight lay across the ground. To Skye's left was a barely discernable ridge, capable of being jumped over from the other side. An elevated platform was situated around the middle of the cave too. She would hear the soft splashing sound of water somewhere, echoing quietly.

She began to walk further in. Her footsteps caused a movement in the dark recesses of the cave's ceiling, and squinting up she saw a whole swarm of Woobat clutching the roof's rocks, wings enclosed around their bodies. She couldn't distinguish any more than that. Her eyes began to adjust and she could see the outlines of objects more clearly. She came up to the water's edge and peered in, but only dark shadows moved there. She backed off quickly.

She saw the shadow of a bank on the other side, but what was there remained unknown; she had no Pokémon to Surf with. Edging near what she thought were stairs, Skye managed to stumble up them. She got to the top and fumbled about, still holding her egg tightly. She found nothing, disappointed. Some kids from when she'd been at the Playground when she was younger had told her that a rare item resided in this cave. She grunted and stood up from the crawling position she'd been in.

Looking downwards, Skye observed her egg. She couldn't see very well in the darkness, but when she ran a finger over its flawless shell... she found a flaw. A small crack in the top of the egg made her giddy with excitement. At first she'd thought she'd broken it, but then realised that was how an egg hatched. It cracked open until the Pokémon burst free. Her egg was already beginning to hatch. Oh, she couldn't wait to see the look on Jet's face.

Skye grinned happily and set off again, exploring every inch of the cave. Pokémon shrank back from her presence, and most were asleep. She didn't go challenged for even a second. It felt good to explore, and Skye enjoyed this feeling of just being on an adventure. She felt like it was time to leave though. She hadn't found the rare object, and she wanted to leave the cave before anything did decide to attack her. It'd been roughly an hour.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted it. A glint of gold had been all she needed and she was rushing back down the steps, heading for one of the murky, shadowed corners of the cave. She could see it more clearly now; it was a nugget, its golden form pure and sparkling. It sold for so much money, something Skye needed. Of course, she'd be richer when she took all of Jet's money.

When Skye was only a few metres away from the nugget a hollow, rocky cry vibrated through the cave. The Woobat above responded by waking up, flapping their wings noisily and swinging about, but they soon fell back into their slumber. Skye was frightened out of her wits, deep, cold fear wracking her chest. She couldn't move, stuck still in place as the noise settled down. The crack at the top of her egg extended further down, unknowingly to Skye; it'd been doing so for the past hour. When everything was silent again, Skye went to move forward, but was stopped.

The hollow cry sounded again, but the Woobat didn't even stir this time. A small figure rolled into view, blocking the pathway to the egg. It had a blue and black body, closely resembling a rock, and had a hexagonal, yellow crevice in the centre of its body, and another black hexagon within that. Two small, brown, rock-like features comprised its feet as well as another atop its head.

Skye stared at it, not sure whether to laugh or be frightened. It was so small, but Pokémon, no matter what size or shape, could be dangerous to someone without anything to defend them. In this case she had an egg, but she was supposed to be the one protecting that right now. She was hopelessly doomed. Who knew what horde of attacks the Pokémon may hold? All Skye knew was that it was Roggenrola, and it was a Rock-Type Pokémon. Her Pokémon Data book hadn't said much else.

She backed away from the Roggenrola that slowly advanced upon her, trying to get the egg anywhere safe. She dared not put it in her bag just in case she accidentally fell on it. As if to speak of the devil she then fell backwards onto the rock-solid ground, egg slipping from her sweaty palms. It hit the ground and rolled away to the right, out of Skye's reach. The Roggenrola stepped in-between the egg and Skye, stopping her from getting near it.

"N- no!" Skye exclaimed. What if the Roggenrola turned on the egg and broke it? What would happen to the Pokémon inside! Skye tried to move forward but the Roggenrola used a feisty Tackle, batting her outstretched hand back and bruising her wrist. Skye yelped and clasped her now-hurting hand, desperately moving backwards and trying to find something to grab hold of to fight back against the Roggenrola.

Skye shut her eyes. She'd let the Roggenrola do what it wanted, and then battered and bruised, she would make sure she got her egg back after. She could patch up later. She regretted coming into this cave when her egg still hadn't hatched. It was stupid and foolish. With darkness engulfing her closed-off vision, her ears heard it all.

_Crack!_

Skye waited for the pain. Something had cracked; was it a bone? What had the Roggenrola done? But Skye didn't feel any pain, and curiosity overwhelmed her. Her eyes cracked slowly open, adjusting to the darkness to see better in the cave. What she saw was the Roggenrola lying on its side, apparently unconscious, or maybe just beaten up. It wasn't moving, and above it stood a beautiful little Pokémon Skye had never thought to inhabit this cave. It wasn't dark or scary like all the others, but a bright, vivid yellow in colouration.

It looked very much like a lizard to Skye, with large oval-shaped eyes that twinkled with playfulness and curiosity. It had jutting teeth and sported a small red scale on its head. Below the yellow section of its head it was cream in colouration, with thin arms and a red, scaled belly. It appeared as if it was holding up pants, but was in fact its molted skin. The skin trailed out behind it to resemble a tail as well, which swished about as it stared inquisitively at Skye.

The rookie trainer couldn't grasp the situation. What was this Pokémon doing here? It was absolutely adorable, and had a naive feel to it that Skye couldn't help but love. She hadn't seen it in her data book before, or if she had, she'd forgotten about it after. Skye realised then that she was trembling, her body wracked with nerves. She reached out a hand to the little Pokémon who cocked its head to the side. It then crawled towards Skye, revealing something behind it that completed the puzzle.

"Oh!" Skye breathed as her cobalt eyes fell onto a cracked egg behind the Pokémon, the top half lying beside the bottom on the ground. The edges were jagged and rough where it'd been split open with the force of the Pokémon hatching. That made Skye realise. This Pokémon didn't inhabit this cave. It had hatched from _her_ egg. It was _her_ Pokémon!

"Scraggy!" the Pokémon cried, sniffing Skye's hand with a delighted grin on its face. It seemed excited by her presence, and exhilarated with the thrill of the world around it. Skye's nerves finally calmed and she managed a smile, watching with light eyes as the Scraggy pattered up to her, reaching her lap and climbing into it. She hesitantly reached down and stroked its skin, feeling the smooth texture of its head. The Scraggy rubbed itself against her hand, and Skye chuckled. The Pokémon was adorable!

Skye was analysing the Scraggy carefully, taking into context its name. She'd planned on nicknaming all the Pokémon she came across, and she was forming names in her head already. "Scraggy, eh?" Skye repeated, taking that to be the species of Pokémon it was. "I think I'll call you Samuel. You're a boy, right? Aheh. Come on, Sammy," she chimed with a laugh.

The Scraggy seemed to like the name, because it let out a small chirrup. It scuttled up Skye's body and made its way onto her right shoulder, perching its body there. It slowly got onto its feet, one paw holding up its skin-pants, whilst the other held firmly onto Skye's hat. She didn't mind, and found it perfectly cute. She finally remembered the Roggenrola on the floor. "I guess you can come with us."

Reaching into her bag, Skye brought out her final Pokéball – the one she'd dug up earlier. She stood up, Sammy keeping perfectly balanced, and chucked it smoothly at the little rock. The red and white capsule opened, a burst of alabaster light engulfing the Roggenrola and ensnaring it in its grasp. Pulling the Pokémon into its confinements, the Pokéball shut, and Roggenrola's struggle began. The capsule rocked precariously back and forth, anticipation building within Skye. Finally the resistance ceased and the ball lay still. She'd caught the Roggenrola!

"Now to claim what I'd come for," Skye remarked. She held out her arm, and almost instinctively Sammy ran down it, leaping off her hand and onto the ground. He scuttled towards the nugget in the corner of the cave, picking it up gingerly. He inspected it, testing it to be authentic by gnawing on it. Then, pleased with his result, he climbed back up Skye and handed her the nugget. Skye took it from his grasp, petting him gratefully on the head. He was the cutest thing she'd ever seen, and being a newborn baby, he was tiny. So very, very tiny. Skye walked forwards her last few steps and finally bent down, grabbing the Pokéball off the ground.

"I'm glad I came here," she laughed, and her Scraggy nodded its head in agreement. Skye popped the Pokéball containing Roggenrola into her bag, also collecting the two pieces of Sammy's shell and placing that in her bag too. She wanted to keep that forever; it was a tough shell so it wasn't going to break; Sammy's strength was its only weakness. "Now I have Pokémon I can protect myself, heh, what a relief."

Skye decided she was going to train in the cave for a good deal more hours. It would help toughen up her Scraggy, and she had plenty of Potions so she was able to replenish her Pokémon's health when needed. She spent three hours on this, defeating Woobat and more Roggenrola and leaving a trail of fainted Pokémon in her wake. She felt invincible, and it was a great feeling. She'd also gotten her own Roggenrola out, and had conceived a nickname for it. The Roggenrola turned out to be a boy too.

"Your name'll be Zero," she'd said, and so she had her mini team. Samuel the Scraggy, Zero the Roggenrola, and her, Skye Flynn the trainer. She was happy with that so far, so worked on training her Pokémon for those hours and helping them learn battle moves. By the end of their training session they were all worn out, Sammy knowing how to use Leer, Low Kick, Sand-Attack and Faint Attack, and Zero knowing Tackle, Harden, Sand Attack and Headbutt. They were a decent set of moves for the low levelled bunch, and Skye was content for now. Now she just wanted to leave.

She was drained and tired, and so were Sammy and Zero. The Scraggy lay curled up on Skye's shoulder, and Zero rested in his Pokéball. Sammy didn't have a Pokéball, and Skye made a note to get one for him; at the same time she was at ease with Sammy travelling on her shoulder, so the Pokéball would only be for special circumstances.

Finally Skye dragged herself out of the cave. It was four in the morning, and she was knackered. She wanted to haul herself back to Nacrene and get home to her bed. The next morning she'd get the stuff she needed, take a trip to the Pokémart within the Pokémon Centre, and then set off on her proper journey, directed across Skyarrow Bridge. She also needed to gloat to Jet that her egg had hatched first. Oh god, that would be awesome; judging that he hadn't called yet, she assumed he was failing so far.

A whoosh noise made her head shoot up. A comet! No... but what she did see was astounding. In the direction of Striaton and the Dreamyard was a rising plume of mystical, cherry light. It spiralled into the sky like a tornado of colour, spreading outwards and dancing elegantly across what had once been darkening black which now turned into a deep, emotion-filled fuchsia.

It filled Skye with a deep sadness, despite the incredible sight. It held in her gut, and she could sense the welling sadness within Samuel on her shoulder. He wailed to the sky, sharing the sorrow of what heart-rending event could have taken place in the recesses of the Dreamyard.

Skye cast her look away from the cherry-pink sky and turned back to the road. Sammy closed his eyes, settling back down onto her shoulder, and together they began the walk back to Nacrene. They needed a good night's rest for the day that lay ahead, and the exhilaration of everything that had happened so far had completely drained her. She could have fallen asleep where she stood, but she dragged her feet back home instead. Her bed was the most inviting thing for her at this moment.

* * *

><p><strong>A u t h o r s N o t e<strong>_  
>So there you have it. Chapter 2~ I'm trying to keep the chapters short in comparison to my Naruto fic, because well... short and sweet tends to keep people interested. C: Hope ye' enjoyed this and hopefully I'll have Chapter 3 up soon. :3<em>

**Important  
><strong>This story runs in conjunction with Unova Stars: Cascading Comets, written by Tommeh.(: If you liked the character Jet in this, Cascading Comets basically follows his story, whilst Bright Shadow follows Skye. It's really worth the read; Tom's a far greater writer than I am. :D  
><em>Cascading Comets: .nets/6931061/1/Unova_Stars_Cascading_Comets_

No abusing the battling system by having your friends win/lose to benefit them/you 


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